The Times
May 26, 2007
Pennant is granted stay of execution as BenÍtez wields axe
James Ducker
It is a sign of the progress that Jermaine Pennant has made at Liverpool in recent months that when Rafael BenÍtez was spelling out his vision for the future of the club after their Champions League final defeat by AC Milan, the winger was resting easier than some around him.
Had the manager’s call for change come midway through the season, Pennant might have had serious cause to worry about his future at Anfield, but as others were hastened towards the exit yesterday, it appears that the improvement in the 24-year-old’s form has won him a reprieve.
Pennant is some way off being an integral member of BenÍtez’s team and the player acknowledged as he left the Olympic Stadium in Athens on Wednesday night that he will have to reproduce the form he showed in the first half against Milan on a consistent basis to achieve that status, but having looked out of his depth during the first months of the season, recent signs have been more encouraging.
Surprisingly, Pennant made more appearances – 52 – than any other Liverpool player this term, although the fact that he started in only 33 of those matches and managed only one goal – albeit a cracker against Chelsea – emphasises that there is plenty of room for improvement.
It is also why you would not hear Marek Jankulovski, the Milan left back, trumpeting the talents of Pennant above Cristiano Ronaldo, even though the Liverpool winger gave him a far tougher time in the final than the Portuguese did for Manchester United in the semi-final, second leg at the San Siro.
With the exception of Dirk Kuyt, Pennant has been the best of the signings BenÍtez made last summer, but while that might not mean much, with Mark González and Craig Bellamy on their way out – with Aston Villa preparing an £8 million bid for the latter, in the face of competition from West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers – and Gabriel Paletta and Fabio Aurélio having made next to no impact, there are grounds for optimism.
The most obvious thing lacking is a goal threat – Morten Gamst Pedersen, a possible target for BenÍtez this summer, scored eight times for Blackburn from the flanks, while Ronaldo claimed 23 goals for United – but Pennant’s crossing is improving, he does not dribble down as many blind alleys as he used to and his newfound maturity has made a refreshing change to the controversies of the past.
An England call-up cannot be ruled out and would provide another boost to Pennant’s confidence, even if his focus is on Liverpool. “I admit I was getting a bit of bad press at first and the fans got on my back a bit and it was hard to deal with, but as soon as you get some games under your belt and you start playing well you gain in confidence,” he said.
“I had to adapt to a new manager, new players, the expectations of the fans, but in the second half of the season I think I’ve come into my own. I think I’ve shown what I am capable of and starting in the Champions League final must show that, in the boss’s eyes, I’m doing something right. I feel I have matured so much since I came to Liverpool. I needed to do that and now I am.”
BenÍtez, nonetheless, is on the search for a new winger. But while one of the priorities is to offload Bellamy, even if the club have to lower their £12 million valuation of the Wales striker, the manager is keen to move quickly. David Silva, of Valencia, is under consideration and reports in France hint at interest in Florent Malouda, of Lyons.
.
Comment